Perfect Prescription
by StarsAboveUs
Summary: AU. Kate Beckett, homicide detective extraordinaire, is on a coffee run when she hits the car of (very attractive) Doctor Richard Castle. Sassiness and cuteness ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Thanks to Alex for being my beta and to Jill for helping with my title. You guys are the best!**

 **Based on this prompt:** **AU "I hit you with my car and I'm so terribly sorry, but you keep insisting you're fine, and you look fine (and you look FIIINE) but I still feel awful, so I take you to the hospital to get checked out, and it turns out you're actually a doctor there, and you were right about being fine, but I still buy you dinner to apologize again"**

* * *

Kate Beckett was one of New York's best homicide detectives, and yet here she is making a coffee run for her and the boys. Shouldn't she be doing more important things like arresting murderers, or interrogating murderers, or something involving murder? The answer is yes, but unfortunately the coffee machine at the precinct is broken (which is definitely maybe not her fault), which is why the boys made _her_ go out to get them some much needed caffeine.

They closed their case late last night, so Kate only had time to go home, sleep and shower before she was back on the clock. Now she is tired and stuck in the morning Manhattan traffic, and she groans loudly when she remembers the massive amounts of paperwork she has to do when she gets back to the precinct.

She's moving slowly, glancing out the windows and daydreaming about her latte when she feels her phone buzz. She instantly looks down, hoping it isn't a text from Ryan or Espo about another body. If she has to go to a crime scene this morning without any coffee, she _will_ be doing something that involves murder and it won't have anything to do with the victim.

The text is from Espo, but thankfully it's not a body,

 _You better hurry back, Ryan's already asleep at his desk._

Kate stifles a laugh as she starts to reply to the message, but her car jerks to a stop as she rear ends the person in front of her.

* * *

Richard Castle usually tries to avoid morning traffic in the city at all costs, but today he has an early appointment at the hospital and he's going to be late.

His morning didn't start off great; his mother was up in arms about some back-stabbing Broadway star, Alexis woke up sick so he had to call her school, he couldn't find his favorite tie, and this traffic is just icing on the cake.

What Rick really needs is some coffee, and maybe a pastry.

He stops at a red light, internally debating between a bear claw and a cinnamon roll, when his car jolts forward. Rick snaps out of his thoughts and whips his head around to see the car behind him unusually close to his back bumper.

"I don't have time for this today," he grumbles towards the sky, as if God might have something to do with this morning's chaos.

Rick steps out of his car, expecting some pompous businessman in a rush to be responsible for the accident, but when the other driver steps out of the car, he stops in his tracks.

Not only is she gorgeous, but also he can see the police badge sticking out from under her shirt, and he feels a slight panic set in as she walks closer. She hit him, but she's a cop so that's still not good, right? What if she blames him? He doesn't know the etiquette for this type of situation, and he is just about to apologize to her when she speaks up.

"I'm so sorry, that was completely my fault, and I wasn't paying attention and-"

"It's fine," Rick interjects, stopping her rambling. Normally he would be mad at someone for hitting his car, especially after the morning he's had, but there's something about her that he just can't get mad at. Maybe it's the fact that she looks just as disheveled as he feels, or maybe the way she is pulling her bottom lip into her mouth is messing with his mind.

"No, it's not fine," she retorts, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Here let me give you my insurance information so you can get your car fixed. I'm really sorry." She lets out a sigh, runs her fingers through her hair, and turns to head back to her car for the insurance card.

Before she steps away, Rick reaches out and grabs her arm to hold her in place.

"Look, it really is fine. There's not even a scratch on my car," he says, pointing to the bumper in question.

Her eyes glance over at his car, but Rick is more concerned with her racing pulse that he can feel through the skin on her wrist. He looks back up to her face and takes in her pale skin, the bags under her eyes; he should probably let a doctor take a look at her to make sure everything is okay.

He is just about to voice his opinion when she pulls her arm away and turns towards her car for the second time.

"Okay, well I really have to get going now. Sorry again."

"Wait!" Rick blurts out, louder than he intended. "I really think you should get checked out by a doctor. I know you weren't going that fast, but you never know."

She looks at him incredulously like that was the most insane idea she had ever heard. "I don't have time to go to the hospital, I'm fine. I need to get back to work," she says over her shoulder.

"Please, it would make me feel better if I knew you weren't driving around with a concussion or something."

"I didn't even hit my head! I'm fine, trust me."

"What if I drive you to the hospital? I know some people there, so you can be in and out in no time and back to work."

She groans and he can see her contemplating the offer. Finally, she lets out another sigh, grabs her phone and stalks over to his car.

"If it means you'll leave me alone, than please, take me to the hospital."

Rick smirks at her hostile, yet polite tone and gestures to the passenger door.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate really doesn't want to go to the hospital, but she does feel bad for hitting his car, and he is very nice and _very_ attractive, so maybe she can just suck it up. Besides, a hospital trip is a good excuse to put off paperwork for a while, right? She texts Espo to tell him what happened, and when she looks up she notices him staring at her with those beautiful blue eyes.

She stares back for a second before directing her attention out the window. He starts driving and they sit in awkward silence for a minute before either of them find something to say.

"I'm Rick by the way, Rick Castle."

Something about that name is familiar to Kate, but her brain is still foggy without any coffee to help, and she can't place it.

"Kate Beckett," she responds. Rick turns the corner and she sees the hospital come into view. She really hopes this doesn't take long; she was happy for the excuse to postpone the paperwork, but now she is just thinking about how late she'll be at the precinct tonight to catch up.

"Hey, Kate, can you hear me?" Rick asks, worry lacing his voice.

She must have been lost in her thoughts and not heard him calling her name.

"Yes, I can hear you. I was just thinking about work, sorry."

"It's ok, I was just worried that you were in shock. But I saw your badge earlier, what kind of cop are you?"

"I'm a homicide detective," she answers shyly. Some men can be intimidated by her job, so Kate is hesitant to tell people right away. But Rick doesn't seem shocked by this fact; he actually just looks impressed which makes her smile a little.

By this time they are pulling into the hospital's parking garage. Rick parks in a spot near the front, and they both get out of the car and head for the doors of the emergency room.

Once they are inside, Rick walks straight up to the front desk, and Kate is surprised when the nurse there immediately recognizes him.

"Hi Dr. Castle, what can I help you with? Are you looking for a patient?"

"No, I actually got in a little fender bender this morning and I was hoping I could borrow a room for a minute to make sure Kate is okay." He gestures in her direction, and she feels herself blush; she feels like a little kid whose parent is checking her in at the doctors.

"Sure," the nurse responds kindly, "let me just see what room is open."

Rick and the nurse start talking about another patient when it suddenly dawns on Kate why his name sounds so familiar; Dr. Richard Castle is in the papers all the time for saving lives, and donating money and time to important charities. Now she feels even worse for hitting his car, and she wants to apologize again, but now she is being led to an examination room and the words won't come out.

Once they are both inside the room, Rick closes the door and picks up a stethoscope from the counter.

"Wow, so you're the famous Dr. Castle," Kate finally says. "I've read a lot about you in the papers, you do a lot of great work."

"Well I don't know if I'm famous, but thank you," he says humbly, blush creeping up his neck this time. "I like to do what I can to help out. Now sit on the bed so I can make sure you won't drop dead while pursuing your next suspect."

"Whatever you say Doctor," she says as she sits on the bed.

Rick starts doing all the normal things a doctor does, taking her blood pressure, blinding her with the little flashlight, but when he starts checking her for bumps and/or bruises (which she promised she doesn't have, but he insisted), goosebumps break out all across her skin. His touch is feather light, and if he keeps it up she is going to fall asleep.

She closes her eyes while Rick continues his inspection, but not before she sees a small smile form on his lips.

* * *

Rick gives Kate a normal workup; he checks her heart rate and blood pressure, shines the flashlight in her eyes to make sure her pupils are reacting equally, and checks her over for any bumps or bruises. His hands start to linger a little too long on her skin, and he keeps expecting her to swat his hands away, but when he looks up her eyes are closed and, damn, she's chewing on her bottom lip again.

Rick reaches up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and Kate's eyes fly open. He feels like a criminal caught red-handed, and he can't think of what to say. He realizes his hand is still next to her face, so he quickly brings it back down to his lap, hitting his knuckles on the bed.

"Sorry," he mutters, "I was just, uh, checking your head for any bumps."

"I already told you I didn't hit my head," she says with a smirk.

He really wants to lean in and kiss the smirk off her face, but instead he backs up and takes a deep breath. "Well turns out you were right, you're totally fine. It looks like you could use some sleep though," he says with a wink.

She rolls her eyes, but she hops down from the table, and strides over to him, standing closer than is normally acceptable for two strangers.

"Can you write me a prescription for that?"

"Of course," he whispers. "I could even stop by your place later tonight, just to make sure you're doing okay. If you want." Rick slides his hands around Kate's waist, and pulls her closer.

"That sounds great," Kate murmurs against his ear.

Rick is just about to lean down and finally kiss those beautiful lips when the door behind then abruptly opens. They jump apart, and Rick turns around to see another nurse.

"Oh s-sorry Doctor," she stutters, "I didn't realize anyone was in here."

She turns to leave, and Rick chuckles under his breath. He knows what the nurses will be talking about the rest of the day.

"It's okay, we were just leaving. You can use the room," he tells the nurse.

Rick grabs Kate's hand, pulls her out of the room and leads her back outside.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He asks playfully, stopping and pulling her close again. "You'll be back to work in no time."

"No, you're right. I think that was just what I needed." She places a quick kiss on his lips, and slips her business card into his hand. "I'll be expecting that call later."

She walks away with a smile on her face, and Rick finds himself looking at his watch, wondering how long he should wait to call her.


	3. Chapter 3

Kate feels like she is walking on clouds as she strolls away from the hospital; her day didn't start off well, but this little car accident has turned her morning right around.

It isn't until Kate walks around the corner that she remembers she doesn't have a car here. She stops short on the sidewalk, contemplating what to do. She could go back to the hospital and ask Rick for a ride, but he has more important things to do, probably has lives to save. She could call a cab, but she doesn't even have her wallet.

She eventually comes to the conclusion that she has to call Espo and Ryan to come pick her up, which they agree to do after a few complaints about how they were "working hard" and she was "interrupting" them.

Ten minutes later, the boys drive up and stop in front of her at the curb. She gets in the backseat, and is bombarded with questions about the accident and how she's doing.

"Are you okay? What did the doctor say? Where's your car?" Ryan and Espo both ask at once.

"I'm fine, the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me. My car is a couple of blocks away. We need to stop and get coffee first though." Priorities, Kate thinks.

"Yeah, you're telling us," Espo says. "We've been waiting for that coffee for an hour."

Espo turns around in his seat, looking Kate over as if he's also checking her for bumps and bruises. He stops when he sees the smile on her face, and he nudges Ryan in the front seat.

"Why are you so happy Beckett? I thought this whole incident would have put you in an even worse mood then you were in when you left the precinct."

"Um…it's nothing," Kate says, trying to wipe the smile off her face. "I'm just happy to finally get a cup of coffee."

"Hey you're not fooling us Beckett, we're detectives remember? I've seen your happy coffee face before, and this is something else," Espo replies smugly.

"No it's not-"

"What it is Beckett? Did you meet someone at the hospital?" This time it's Ryan poking fun at her from the front seat.

Kate rolls her eyes, and resists the urge to smack both of them. "Hey listen you two, knock it off or I'll make sure you're stuck on desk duty for the rest of the week." They both know she's joking, but they also know she won't hesitate to retaliate so they back off.

Within 20 minutes, they have coffee and are finally back at the precinct. Kate walks straight to her desk and sits down to start her paperwork; the sooner she gets started, the sooner she can go home.

* * *

Rick's morning flies by, thoughts of treating patients and writing prescriptions mingle with his thoughts of Kate. He decides to call her during his lunch break to confirm their plans for tonight, and when he looks down at his watch he can't believe it's already 1:00. He pulls her card out of his pocket, and dials her number hastily, eager to hear her voice again.

She answers on the first ring, and she sounds genuinely pleased to hear from him. They discuss their favorite take out places and favorite wine, coming to an easy decision, and he promises to be at her place at 7.

The rest of the day passes more slowly as Rick thinks about the evening ahead of him. When it's finally time to leave, he grabs his stuff and heads out the door, only pausing to say goodbye to a few of his colleagues.

He stops by the liquor store first, debating between one or two bottles of wine; he doesn't want to be too assuming, but he also doesn't want to run out. He eventually decides on two bottles, thinking that if they don't drink both bottles he can just tell Kate that one was for her, for later.

Next, Rick stops by to get chinese food from the place that Kate mentioned is her favorite. He pays for the food, drives to her place, and finds a parking spot on the street in front of her building. He gets out of the car; suddenly self conscious that he might have some mysterious hospital stain on his shirt. He looks down, and thankfully, sees nothing but a few wrinkles.

"Whew that was close," he mutters to himself. He doesn't have time to go home and change, and he definitely doesn't want to gross Kate out.

Feeling a little warm, Rick rolls up the sleeves of his button down, grabs the food and wine, and walks into her building. He finds her apartment, and with baited breath, he knocks on her door. A few seconds later, Kate answers the door, wearing a casual but stunning dress, and Rick lets out a rush of air.

"God you're beautiful," he murmurs, his voice laced with awe.

* * *

Kate works hard all day, making sure she gets her paperwork done so she can leave on time. At 6:00, she grabs her purse and walks quickly towards the elevator, trying to avoid any unwanted questions from her curious partners.

She makes it to her car without any interruptions, and drives home down the side streets, trying to avoid any more traffic. She makes it to her building in good time, parks in her normal spot, and rushes to her apartment, determined to make herself look better than she did this morning.

She pours herself a glass of wine to calm the nervous butterflies that start fluttering in her stomach and takes a quick shower. She blow dries her hair, taking advantage of her natural curls, puts on a little makeup, and then the hard part - what should she wear? She wants to look nice, but not too fancy, and she doesn't have a lot of options. She eventually decides on a black cocktail dress that she bought for a friend's birthday party last year, it's casual but cute, and hugs her body in all the right places.

Kate just sits down on the edge of her bed to collect her thoughts, when she hears a knock on the door. She jumps up, and has to mentally slow herself down so she's not running to the front of her apartment.

She opens the door and finds Rick on the other side, looking a bit star struck. She feels herself start to blush as he mutters something, and she thinks she hears the word beautiful which makes her blush an even deeper shade of red.

"Would you like to come in?" she asks unnecessarily, since he is obviously here to see her.

Rick nods and walks through the door, while Kate closes it gently behind them. "I got your favorite take out and I picked out a wine that should go perfectly," he says proudly.

"Wow, a man who knows his wine. I could get use to this," Kate teases playfully, walking into the kitchen. She had already set out plates, silverware and glasses, so they were ready to eat.

She is standing by the table when Rick starts walking towards the kitchen, and her heartbeat picks up when he stops directly in front of her, reaching both of his arms around her to put the wine and food on the table.

"Maybe after a few glasses of wine, I can wow you in other ways," he teases back, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Kate laughs, but she honestly can't think of anything she would rather do.

THE END


End file.
